5319/Jubilee Meets Ernesto

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Jubilee Meets Ernesto
Date of Scene: 23 February 2021
Location: Baskin Robbins
Synopsis: Jubilee is taken to Baskin Robbins by Kitty, and she is given one of Ernesto's ice cream masterpieces. The pair find a kitten, Scruffles, to take back to the school.
Cast of Characters: Kitty Pryde, Jubilation Lee




Kitty Pryde has posed:
The knock on the interesting, ornate doorknocker on Jubilee's door had been unexpected. Kitty calls through it, "Hey Jubes, it's Kitty," so that the Asian girl wouldn't have to guess who it was before she opens it. "Your assistance is required somewhere. But I promise it's something I think you'll like," Kitty continues.

She's wearing a pair of jeans and a colorful sweater, with a leather jacket in one hand as if she's planning to go out somewhere. A pair of black boots peek out from beneath the denim legs. Kitty has on a soft grin, her hair pulled back in a ponytail as it often is, revealing most of her face. No sign of Lockheed at the moment.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation opens the door slowly. "Kitty," she says, surprise spicing her tone a little. Blink blink. Her voice is quiet, perhaps even tired. She's wearing a plain white tanktop and a pair of black spandex shorts. No makeup. Hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. This is not Jubilee.

    And then, as though a switch is flipped, her exuberant facade takes over. "Somewhere, huh? That sounds good!" she jokes with a big grin. For someone apparently having a hard time, she certainly doesn't show it. Not anymore, anyway. She stuffs her bare feet into a pair of white Heely sneakers and grabs a grey hoodie on the top of one of the many piles of clothes on the floor of the room. Noriko and Jubilee are in the running for messiest room on campus.

    "Lead the way, Doctor Livingston."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The older teen's hazel eyes take in the sight of Jubilee, and note the change in emotion. The smile stays on Kitty's face, but there's sympathy added to what is expressed in her eyes. It was only a year ago that the Jewish girl was putting up her own facade rather than making others around her deal with Kitty's grief over the loss of her father when Genosha was destroyed.

So Kitty doesn't challenge the forced exuberance, just smiles to Jubilee as she comes out. "There is a secret, known to few at the school," Kitty says as she walks Jubilee downstairs. Kitty's eyes dart to either side before she shares quietly, "A great secret. A terrible secret. A great and terrible secret."

They reach the stairs and start down, Kitty leading the way to the front door and outside, where she's borrowed one of the school's small fleet of cars. "And it's time that you learn it," Kitty says, eyes going to Jubilee. Seeming to consider, and then nodding as if in approval, confirming her decision. "Hop in. We've got a short drive," Kitty says. She'll drive them out the gate, and take the road towards Salem Center.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation hooks her foot on the door to pull it closed as she hops out into the hallway. She draws up the hood and pulls on the draw strings to cinch it tight before putting a pair of Ray Bans into position. No one is going to recognize her like this. She saw the video circulating on YouTube. Her image is out there. "A great and terrible secret?" she repeats as she hoists her behind up onto the main stairway's railing.

    "You're not going to show me what's in the meatloaf, are you?" she asks after butt-sliding down the staircase and landing on her feet. "Because I'm pretty sure it's made of all the missing gym mats."

    "Hey, is it true that Magneto's here? I heard he was!" she continues, trotting after the older girl. Her mind is bouncing back and forth between these thoughts, as though she can't contain the energy and questions. She's truly in Jubilee-mode, now. Kitty might just be the first person, other than Noriko, she's spoken to in a while. There's a lot to get out.

    "Hey, wait..." Jubilee mutters as she watches the mansion disappear in the distance behind them. "What's going on?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty's teeth press together tightly but she manages to stop them from actually grinding. This time. "I haven't seen him myself, but yes, that's my understanding," she says. "I've been in the city the last few days and... well, yeah. I need to talk to Jean and the Professor," Kitty says. Her hand goes to her upper chest without really thinking about it. The Star of David hanging from her necklace has the Tree of Life in the middle of it, adorned with diamonds and topaz. A gift from Warren, it's different than the one that she wore when she was younger. The one that the sight of stopped Erik in the act of electrocuting her to death.

The soft sound of Kitty's throat being cleared can be heard and she moves her hand back to the steering wheel. "Great and terrible. And not the meatloaf. I'm not quite sure who came up with that, to be honest," Kitty says of the meat dish that really needs another run through the marketing department. And culinary school.

"It's not too far," Kitty says in reply to Jubilee's confusion. And sure enough, they are pulling into Salem Center by the time that the car's heater has done it's job of warming them. Kitty drives through the small town, past the mall, and over towards the downtown area. "Here we are," Kitty says.

She pulls the car into a parking spot, right in front of Baskin Robbins. The spaces are all empty at the moment, it being a bit of an off hour. Plus, late winter isn't the busiest time for an ice cream shop. Kitty looks over to Jubilee and grins at her, then undoes her seatbelt and climbs out of the car. She slides a bit on some icy sidewalk, but just goes with the slide and soon is at the door to the ice cream parlor, to hold it open for Jubilee.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Ice cream? That's the great and terrible secret?"

    Jubilee peers over the roof of the car at Kitty before slamming the door shut. "I've had ice cream before, Kitty. I mean, I'm pretty sure I had ice cream today. Check my breath!" Jubilee grins and pushes off with one foot to slide easily across the ice. Had things gone a different way, she might have been on the U.S. Olympics team for gymnastics. Had things gone a different way...

    "Hey, maybe they won't card us," she whispers mischievously as she passes Kitty through the doorway. "Follow my lead. We're twin sisters and it's our birthday." And then, as if to explain, Jubilation mouths two words to perhaps explain her grand plan: free cones. And so, she struts right over to the glass barrier that separates the ice cream jockeys from the ice cream fiends and starts rapping her fingertips against it to draw up some attention.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"Ah, it's not just the ice cream. But the ice cream man," Kitty says. "And, believe me, he knows me," she explains as they step inside.

Behind the counter is a man standing about 5'8". He's slightly heavyset, in his late thirties or early forties perhaps. He has a black moustache, and one could be forgiven if they thought they saw a little of Mario in him. He looks up as Jubilee comes in, and Kitty behind her, and his face lights up, confirming Kitty's statement about him knowing her.

"Kitty! You've come back to me. And here I thought maybe you'd found some big city ice cream man to steal your heart, and stomach away," he says. The man has a very warm, likeable demeanor, and it puts a grin on Kitty's face as she moves over to slide an arm around Jubilee.

"Never, I might be in the city more, but what they serve isn't really ice cream," Kitty says. She motions to Jubilee and says, "Ernesto, this is Jubilation, a good friend of mine. Jubilee, this humble yet handsome looking man, is named Ernesto. But in truth he is da Vinci with any ice cream scoop. He is Mozart with a can of whipped cream. He is Michelangelo with colored sprinkles," Kitty says.

Ernesto gives a wave of his hand as if that's too much. "She always butters me up so I will give her free extra hot fudge," he confides to Jubilee. "And you have such a beautiful name. A happy name," he says warmly. "Decide which ice creams and toppings you would like, and I'll see if I can live up to Kitty's priase."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    For a brief moment, Jubilation's face sours. He knows her. That's going to throw a wrench in her plan to scam Baskin Robbins out of a free birthday cone or two. But, as they say, Baskin Robbins Always Finds Out, so maybe it was a fool's errand, anyway. She soon grins as her gaze snap-turns from Ernesto to Kitty and then back to Ernesto. "Yup -- Jubilation. Basically zero chance of finding it on a keychain in a giftshop, but I like it, anyway. Nice to meet you!"

    "Ice cream and toppings -- now you're speaking my language, Ernesto!" Jubes enthuses. Big smile! "Can't go wrong with cookies and cream, right?" she begins. "Though..." Her eyes roll to the side as she considers this. "...Today might be an orange sherbet kind of day..." She jams her index finger into her mouth and gets it nice and wet with spit before sticking it straight up into the air, as if to feel a breeze. "...Yup. Orange sherbet kind of day...."

    "Can you mix in some vanilla, too? I mean, if you're half as good as Kitty says, it should be no problem, right?" She glances at Kitty with a grin.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty just has this grin as Jubilee is picking out her ice cream. Ernesto moves over to the ice cream, getting out a little wooden spoon and getting a bit of orange sherbert on it, and then a bit of vanilla, so both can be tasted together as he gives it to Jubilee to help with her selection.

"Waffle cone?" he asks. "Coated with white chocolate perhaps? And some other fruit toppings would go well with the orange sherbert. And maybe a hint of dark chocolate crumbles to balance out the sweetness?" he suggests.

Kitty says, "And two Italian sodas, to pair with the ice cream." Ernesto nods to this. "And Kitty do you wish some of your favorites?" Kitty gestures with both hands. "I leave myself in your capable hands," she tells the man, getting a smile from him.

The Jewish girl looks over to Jubilee and says, "I've been coming here for... six years now. Since I first came to the school. And he's been here for all of that."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Waffle cone? "But of course," she agrees.

    The white chocolate and dark crumbles, though, earn a headshake. Same for the offer of fruit. "No, no, no, nothing like that," she begins, as if to try and be polite and not overdo it. That's not what's happening. "Pile that baby high with gummie bears, my good man, and you've got yourself a deal!" she adds with an enthusiastic nod. Fruit. HA.

    "Six years..." Jubilee repeats softly as her orders are carried out. "...Probably like nine million scoops..." She's probably way, way off. Math and Jubilee are not friends, not even acquaintances.

    Finally, Jubilee turns her body to face Kitty, both arms now crossed over her chest. Her mouth says nothing but her body seems to be asking why they really came here.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Ernesto smiles. "Ah, a true sweet tooth. Gummy bears it is then," he agrees. Kitty motions towards one of the tables. "Let's give him a few minutes to work his magic," Kitty suggests.

She moves over to take a seat though not without having noticed the expression and body language from Jubilation. Kitty sits in a relaxed way, leaning back with one leg crossing the other, the boot on the top leg bouncing slightly.

"We all need to get away at times," Kitty says with a small shrug. "Lord knows my life has had enough moments like that. And everyone needs to meet Ernesto while they are the school," she says. "He truly is a great secret, but terrible on the waistline," Kitty says with a little pat towards her hips as she gives a warm chuckle.

"Nah, just figured it would do you good to get out for a bit. No more than that," she says. It seems she's not going to make Jubilee talk if she doesn't want.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "The sweetest," Jubilee beams at Ernesto. She spins on her heel and follows Kitty's guidance towards the table. She practically flops into her seat, as if to purposely contrast Kitty's relaxed motions. Jubilee sits with the back of her head against the top of the chair, slunk down so that her behind isn't even on the seat at all. "I won't tell anyone," she promises with a smirk. Ernesto's name would not pass through her lips.

    Kitty's explanation for their trip draws a shallow sigh from Jubilation, but that's all. The bright and cheery facade slides for a moment, allowing a brief look at turmoil. "The Internet says he's going to live," she says suddenly. A pair of curious eyes look up at Kitty from behind the Ray Bans.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty's expression as she nods back to Jubilation is a gentle one. "I was really glad to hear that," she tells Jubilee. "We don't have easy lives. And making the choices to try to live the kind of lives we do... it's not the easy way out," Kitty says quietly, nodding. "I've done things that I have to live with. But I try to learn from them and let them make me better."

Her expression is encouraging, as if to show, even if you go through a rough time, it is possible to find peace again.

Over behind the counter, Ernesto is working away. Spending far more time than it takes just to add a couple of scoops and toppings to a bowl or cone.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Something about Kitty's advice prompts the younger mutant to explain herself. "I didn't mean to do it, Kitty," she replies softly, turning her attention back to the glass counter just several feet away. "I didn't know that..." Her words trail off. She sighs. "I didn't know that would happen." As far as Jubilee knew, she was hurling a bunch of bright colors in that guy's face -- enough to flashbang him. As far as she knew, that's the extent of her abilities.

    "Hey, Ernesto! What's a girl gotta do to get a cone in her paw?" she calls over, a smile returning. Jubilation's coping method is the one she always uses -- fake it till you make it!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The Jewish girl listens, compassion in her expression. "You're still learning what all you can do. And you did it to try to save someone," she offers quietly. "That you feel how you do, tells me all I need to know about what kind of person you are inside. That's the measure of you, not that you didn't know part of yourself yet, or have control over it," Kitty tells Jubilee quietly.

Ernesto's happy voice pipes up. "Almost ready," he says, moving about behind the counter. He's getting the two Italian sodas now, getting flavors that go well with their ice cream.

And then he's bringing their food out on a tray. Kitty wasn't kidding about him.

A plate with sloping sides is set in front of Jubilee. It isn't a cone, or a bowl. Ernesto has made a carousel. There's one flattish waffle bowl for the bottom, and another for the top. Orange sherbert fills the bottom one, with little horses made of frozen vanilla ice cream, with gummy bears riding on them. More gummy bears surround the carousel, standing on a lawn of orange sherbert with a vanilla path winding through it. Dabs of orange and vanilla decorate the top of the carousel, and more gummy bears can be found, spaced about the top like little ornaments.

Kitty's? She got a pirate ship, a hull made of two large segments of waffle cone dipped in chocolate at the edges like it's a railing. Sailing in a mint chocolate chip sea. Hot fudge covers the deck of the ship, with white-chocolate covered waffle cone for sales. Little cannons trimmed from chocolate bars of some sort extend just out over the edge of the deck.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah, well..." Jubilee begins glumly, one side of her mouth pinched inward. "You should see some of the things those mutant-hating wack jobs are saying about me on the web..." She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "Whatever," she declares with a sudden shrug. "It's not like they know who I am." The opposite is a sobering thought and she doesn't have a lot of time to linger on it because...ICE CREAM.

    Jubilee's eyes study the carousel of flavors set in front of her. She reaches up and pulls off her sunglasses and stares. "What. The. Eff!" she exclaims before looking up at Ernesto. "Ernesto!" she cheers. "Life was bad but now it's good, again, forever!" She plucks one of the gummie bears off of its vanilla horse and tosses it into her mouth. "This is incredible! A carousel! Amazing!"

    "Oh, you got a boat," Jubes adds with a non-plussed shrug. "That's cool, too, I guess..."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty lets out a warm laugh and shines a smile up at Ernesto. The man appears to soak in Jubilee's reaction to her carousel, taking great pleasure and pride in having drawn out the girl's smile. "I hope you like it," he tells Jubilee with a smile.

A spoonful of hot fudge is gathered by Kitty, and then some of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. "The more things you order for it, the more creative he gets," Kitty shares. "At this point he knows the flavors I like most and I just let him go at it. And yes, feel free to bring Nori or whoever else by. I only tease about him being a secret," the other young woman adds with a warm laugh.

Ernesto returns behind the counter, leaving the two girls to their creative, frozen treats. Kitty takes her time, but it's pretty clear she really likes the hot fudge as she gets some of that on every bite. She breaks down the hull to get bits of waffle cone, and eats one of the cannons. "Feel free if you want a few bites of this," Kitty says.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Who /wouldn't/ like it?" Jubilation replies with a grin. "It's a masterpiece!" She lowers her voice and shrugs. "It's a shame I'm going to have to commit a war crime on it..." She stares wide-eyed at the magnificence placed in front of her.

    The mention of Nori causes a slight squirm. "Nori? You mean Noriko Ashida?" she questions as she reaches for her spoon. "Why would I bring her? I mean..." She drags the spoon against a piling of orange sherbet. "...I barely know the girl." The lie is punctuated with a sudden mouthful of ice cold sherbet.

    A small family of gummie bears is scooped up and sent to their untimely end in Jubilee's mouth. "Oh, don't worry, I was gonna!" she replies with a toothy grin, her voice muffled by gelatin bears.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Maybe Kitty didn't notice the squirming, or anything different in Jubilee's voice, as she is focused on her own ice cream. Kitty gives a little wave of her spoon. "Whoever you might like to bring," Kitty says. "I've thought about taking up a collection to help Ernesto open his own place. Though I'm not sure if he'd take it or not. We talked about it once, but I think he's kind of happy just getting to show up and do his own particular magic. But, who knows? A lot of people just get a normal cone from him though, they aren't really looking for something like this. It was kind of like he had to get to know me before he trusted me with seeing his true creations," Kitty says with a smile.

She looks up and meets eyes with Ernesto, giving him a big grin which both signals her own happiness, and probably is meant to convey some of Jubilee's too. He smiles and goes back to work cleaning up.

Kitty lets out a happy sigh. "Yeah, going to have to run my Logan Is A Jerk enviro-training program after this," she says. "But so worth it."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation sets her spoon down and reaches out to pull off the top waffle of the carousel. She brings it up to her mouth and munches on an edge, happily smearing globs of orange and white on the sides of her mouth. Zero cares given. "Well, maybe I will..." she replies with her mouth full. Bring someone, that is.

    "He probably doesn't want to deal with the business side of it. I mean, who would?" The bridge of her nose wrinkles a little as she considers what it might be like to run a business. Gross. "He's an artist, after all!" She takes another too-large-for-common-decency sized bite and chews it carefully.

    "Thanks for bringing me, Kitty," she says, eventually able to swallow that bite and free up some space for talking. "You're right. It's nice to get away." Her problems would be waiting for her when she gets back.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty shines a smile over to Jubilee. "It makes me happy to see my friends experience this," she says, grinning. "You know, I bet Warren would fund something before I even finished asking. But, yes, I don't know that having to deal with that side of it would make Ernesto happy. I mean, he's happy now from everything I know. If he wants to get his own place, I think he could make it happen. So, I'm not going to push it. As long as he's happy, and he is making people like us happy? Well, the world's a better place I figure."

Kitty eats another canon. She's making her way through her own ice cream creation. "Oh that's so good. I'm going to have bring Warren in and make sure Ernesto approves of him," she comments to Jubilee. She pulls out her phone and looks at it. "Let's see what's for dinner tonight that we're spoiling our appetites for," she comments as she pulls up the school menu. "Oh, look at that," Kitty says and then breaks out in warm laughter. "Meat loaf."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The top section of the carousel is finally put out of its misery. Jubes drags the back of her hand against her sticky lips, apparently not-at-all caring how she's coming off in public, right now. "Yes..." she replies quietly, giving Kitty a look of mild confusion. "...Gotta make sure the ice cream guy approves of Warren..."

    Meat loaf. Jubilee points across the table at Kitty. "I'm telling you!" she begins. "There were six mats in the gym yesterday. There are going to be /five/ tomorrow! I'm telling you now! Five mats left."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty laughs about the mat, and the two of them finish off their ice cream, or whatever amount of it they are able to finish off. The Italian soda flavors were chosen to go well with the ice cream, and provide nice refreshing finish.

Afterwards, Kitty pays Ernesto, the ice cream having been her treat. And then slips her coat and gloves back on as the two women head outside.

Kitty is just starting to head for the car when a tiny mewing sound catches her attention. "Wow that sounds pretty young," she says of the feline sound. Kitty looks around, not seeing the source of it, then walking around the nearby corner of the building.

"Well hello there," Kitty says, crouching down as there's an adorable little kitten standing there in the light dusting of snow on the lot beside the building. "Where's your mama? You're too young to be out on your own," Kitty says as she looks around the area for a mother cat. The kitten is tiny, small enough she's probably still drinking her mother's milk, maybe only just reaching a point she'd eat other food.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Okay, so now is about the time that Jubilation regrets her clothing choice. While Kitty puts her coat and gloves back on, Jubilee has no option other than stuffing her hands into the front pockets of her hoodie. She's forced to brave the elements in spandex short-shorts and a measly hoodie.

    "Ohhhhh, she's so /cute/!" Jubilation declares, making an assumption about the little one's gender. She slides her sunglasses back on -- can't be too careful right now -- and bends down to get a closer look. She holds the back side of her hand out for the kitten to sniff or rub on. "Can we keep her? Can we?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The kitten sniffs at Jubilee's hand. A snowflake floats down and lands on the kitten's nose and the kitten gives a tiny, adorable sneeze.

Kitty, the human one, looks around the area. "Don't want to separate it from its mother, but... I don't see too many places a cat could be close by," she says.

She reaches out to give the kitten a little rub along the back of its neck and jaw. The kitten leans into it. "Aw you like those scruffles don't you?" Kitty asks the kitten. She picks her up and does it a little more, then offers her over to Jubilee. "Hang on to it, let me look around for the mother?" Kitty suggests. She gives Jubilee the keys to the car so the Asian girl can warm herself, and the kitten, inside.

Kitty then trots around the lot, sticking her head through anything that looks like a spot a cat could be hiding, or have made a den. It doesn't take real long. She goes all the way around the back of the building, then returns, shaking her head as she approaches the car.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh come on -- being separated from your mother is like a school tradition," Jubes reminds as she reaches two hands out to accept the kitten. She swaddles the little one against her chest and peers down at it. "It's okay," she coos. "It's okay..." Jubilee looks up and grins. "I think she likes us---" The mutant pauses and then lifts the kitten into the air for inspection. "...Yeah, she."

    A closer look. "...He." Jubilee squints and brings the kitten right up against her face. "...She."

    With a shrug, Jubilee lowers herself into the car and places the kitten onto her lap. "I think we're gonna keep you," she whispers. "Though you need to watch out for Emma."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty makes one last pass around the lot. She holds up her hand to indicate she'll be a moment, and then heads back inside the Baskin Robbins. She emerges and runs next door to the next business. Then emerges from that and comes back to the car. "Well, I told them we found a kitten. If they find the mama cat, Ernesto will call me," Kitty says. "If not, well let's take Scruffles there back to the school and we'll go from there," Kitty suggests.

She puts on her seatbelt and makes a face. "Yes, have to make sure she doesn't add you to her fur coat," Kitty says of Emma, leaning over to give the kitten more scruffles and scritches. After a moment's look, Kitty says with a grin, "He." She turns up the heater a bit more, and turns on the radio. "Ok, hang on. Xavier's, here we come," she says, pulling back out for the drive home.